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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pop — music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. degree — temperature
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pop — soda
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. degree — from a university
  13. chip — to eat
  14. degree — an amount
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pop — to visit
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — for catching
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fork — in a road
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com